


Cottoncandy Kisses

by sgtbuckaroobarnes



Series: SamBucky Prompt Fills [17]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Dorks in Love, Fluff, M/M, Oblivious Bucky Barnes, Pining Bucky Barnes, Winter Falcon, also there is a fair involved, fairs are always fun so there's that, sam takes bucky on a date, sambucky - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 11:35:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8978041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sgtbuckaroobarnes/pseuds/sgtbuckaroobarnes
Summary: Prompt: Sam takes Bucky to the fair and the corn maze then that night after they leave the haunted house, Sam makes a comment and Bucky realizes they'd been on a date the whole time.





	

He’d thought it was strange at first, but just a little, he and Sam had been spending more time together, so it wasn’t incredibly odd. He just wasn’t sure why Sam had asked him, of all people, to go to the fair with him. He knew Clint wanted to go, he’d heard him begging Nat to go with him the night before, she’d refused, mostly just to upset Clint, and Clint had groaned. And this morning Sam had made Bucky breakfast after their run, like he did every morning, and then he’d sat down and asked Bucky if he wanted to go to the fair with him this evening. 

He hadn’t really thought much of it. He hadn’t been to a fair in…a long time. He’d shoved another bite of chocolate chip waffles, Bucky’s favorite, Sam’s new specialty, into his mouth and shrugged. He mumbled “sure” around his mouthful and tried to keep his excitement in check. His heart was beating fast in his chest and he didn’t see the bright smile that lit up Sam’s face as he walked out of the kitchen. 

~***~

Sam drives them out there a few hours after they eat lunch. Bucky can smell the food and animals before they even get out of the car. He closes his eyes and breathes it in, he’d missed this. He and Steve used to go to the fair all the time, every time there was one. It was cheap entertainment and cheap was what they needed back then. He opened his eyes to see Sam opening his door for him. 

“Thanks.” He said quietly, he wanted to make a remark about how he can open doors himself but something made him hold his tongue. 

“You ready?” Sam asked with a smile, Bucky smiled back and nodded, ignoring the way his chest seized up when Sam smiled at him. He’d been pushing that feeling down a lot more lately. He walked behind Sam up to the ticket booth, trying to keep his eyes off things they shouldn’t be on, but Sam’s pants were tighter than they had any right to be and he was finding it hard. He dropped his eyes to the ground instead, feeling it was the safest option. 

He jumped a little when he felt Sam’s fingers on his wrist.

“Sorry, you just kinda…spaced out for a sec and I wanted to put this on you. All access passes.” He grinned at Bucky again and Bucky looked down to see the little paper bracelet Sam was putting on him. Sam’s fingers were warm, and gentle, he was always so gentle when it came to Bucky. Maybe not always gentle with words, but neither was Bucky, they were both sarcastic assholes. Bucky was pretty sure that was part of the appeal. Sam finished and gave Bucky’s wrist a small squeeze and then walked through the gates, smiling over his shoulder as he went. Bucky followed. 

~***~

They got corn dogs and cheese fries first. They’d walked past three different booths, before Sam stopped him and asked if wanted some, he’d apparently been staring. Bucky nodded and tried not to follow Sam too closely. They sat at one of the old picnic tables and ate. Bucky wanted to talk, he’d been getting better at that, especially with Sam, but every time he opened his mouth nothing came out. He caught Sam looking at him a few times, and dropped his eyes to his food again. 

“Is it good?” Sam asks, prods really, giving Bucky an opening to talk. He’d done that a lot at the start. Bucky appreciated it, most of the time. 

“Yeah, it’s great. Thanks Sam.” He said quietly, still not looking at Sam. This had been a terrible idea. Coming here with Sam, being alone with Sam, being around Sam exclusively when they were doing more than running, was dangerous for Bucky apparently. Sam just nodded at him and then his face lit up and he laughed a bit, like he’d just remembered something funny. Bucky looked up him, his eyes wide, he loved when Sam laughed like that. 

“Ya know, I loved these things when I was little. I mean LOVED them,” he widened his eyes as he emphasized his words, holding up the corn dog and looking at it, “I remember one year, my mom brought me here and I ate like seven of them. In one go.” He laughed again and took another bite. 

“And then I went on one of the spinning rides, the Wipe Out ride I think it was, and I threw up. Twice.” He smiled at Bucky, and Bucky had to smile back. Because he always tried to smile back at Sam, it was an automatic reaction. He laughed a little too, because he could picture it, teeny tiny Sam Wilson, probably reassuring his mom that he’d been fine, scarfing down seven corn dogs and then running to ride rides and then losing everything he’d eaten. Steve used to throw up after he rode rides too. Bucky used to laugh at him even though it made him worry. 

“Was it worth it?” he asked, looking across the table at Sam as he chewed the last of his own corn dog. Sam smiled at him.

“It was. She let me get more. After I was done riding rides.”

“She let you get more food after you threw it all up?” Bucky asked incredulously, tossing all his trash in the can nearest their table. 

“Yeah, it was summer, and I may have begged a little bit.” He smirked at Bucky across the table, he felt his heart do that skip jump in chest and he fisted his hand under the table.

“Used that Sam Wilson charm huh?” Bucky shot back, hoping his smirk matched Sam’s and didn’t seem creepy and forced. Sam laughed and threw his trash away too. 

“Yeah maybe a little, though it didn’t always work as well on my mom as it does on other people. But moms are like that, immune to all the charms their kids work on other people.” He smiled softly, like he was remembering something good. 

“Yeah.” Bucky agreed, wishing he had better memories of his family. Those memories where still fuzzy, they’d come and go in dreams sometimes, but they never seemed to stay very well. 

“You still got the corn dogs though.” 

“Yeah,” he laughed as they got up, “I guess I did.” 

“You sure you don’t want more? Maybe like five more?” Bucky teased as they were walking away from the table. 

“Ha. Ha. Barnes. I’m good. Besides, I gotta save room for dessert.” He winked at Bucky and then walked towards the Ferris wheel. Bucky felt his cheeks heat up and he clenched his fist again but he followed, like he always did. 

~**~

They got stopped at the top. Not stuck, just stopped, while it loaded more people. Bucky looked out at all the lights, the sun was just about to go down and the sky looked like a painting. He smiled and glanced to the right to look at Sam, he was looking out over the fair at all the lights, his skin glowing in the setting sun, a small peaceful smile on his face. Bucky felt like he was melting. He wanted to reach out and touch. Feel how warm Sam’s skin undoubtedly was.

It would be soft too, his skin, he’d had dreams about it. Not sexual dreams really, they were more comforting than anything. They were always the same. The two of them laying in bed, sometimes wearing clothes, sometimes not, but that was never the point. The point was that Bucky got to touch Sam in his dreams, got to move his fingertips over his skin in intricate patterns for as long as he pleased. And he always felt safe. That was best part. He felt safe with Sam. Always. Not just in the dreams. 

“What are you smiling about?” Sam asked softly. Bucky startled next to him, the seat rocking a little as the ferris wheel started to move again.

“I uh… I don’t know. Just a nice view I guess.” Sam smiled at him and looked out at the sky again. Bucky sighed. Why the fuck couldn’t he just talk to him like normal. This shouldn’t be that difficult. They talked all the time, about tons of things, and now Bucky felt like he was back to when he’d just moved into the facility with them. Like he couldn’t remember how to talk to people properly. He hated it. He looked down and picked at a small hole in his jeans. 

“You okay Buck?” Sam asked, his voice still quiet. Bucky looked at him. He had the urge to lean forward and kiss him, he was so close, he’d only have to move a few inches. He pushed the thought down, as deep as it would go. 

“Yeah. This is nice. I like when the sky gets pink like that.” He nodded toward the setting sun, the sky a blend of pinks, oranges and yellows. Bucky kept looking at the sky, his eyes focusing on the horizon. 

“It’s beautiful.” He said, his eyes catching the sun again as they came back around the top of the wheel. 

“Yeah. Beautiful.” Bucky nodded but didn’t look at Sam. If he had looked at Sam, he’d have seen that Sam wasn’t even looking at the sunset. Sam was looking at Bucky. And smiling.

~***~

They go through the corn maze next, Bucky doesn’t like it very much, it’s closed in, too small. He tenses up and tells Sam that he’s fine when he asks if he’s okay. Sam gets them through the maze quickly. Bucky’s sure they may have broken some kind of record if the way the guy outside the exit is looking at them. 

“Nothin to it really.” He says as he smiles over at Bucky. Bucky takes a deep breath, relaxing after leaving the maze. 

“Easy as pie.” He says and smiles back. Sam laughs and then looks at him very seriously. Bucky swallows.

“What?” he asks, almost scared of the answer. 

“We need dessert.” Sam says, his voice as serious as his face even though he’s talking about dessert. Bucky laughs through his nose and shakes his head. 

“Yeah?” Sam asks, bumping his shoulder against Bucky’s.

“Yeah.” Bucky agrees and they walk to a booth with a big red sign that reads ELEPHANT EARS. Sam buys one for them to share and a coke. He hands the plate to Bucky and takes a small piece of the pastry. He groans loudly when he puts it in his mouth and Bucky’s head snaps in his direction. 

“Jesus Wilson.” He mutters and takes a small bite himself as Sam takes a drink of their coke. 

“Sorry man, it’s just so fucking good.” He says with a laugh and hands the coke to Bucky, he takes a sip, very aware that he places his lips where Sam’s had been a few moments ago. 

“It’s not bad. I was always partial to cotton candy.” Bucky tells him with a small smile, taking another drink. 

“Yeah? Well then let’s get some. I saw a vender selling some back there, come on.” He turned on the spot and headed back to the booth with the swirly cotton candy picture on the side. Bucky followed and stood next to him. 

“What color?” Sam asked. Bucky looked at him.

“Is there…is there more than one color?” Sam’s face softened, Bucky felt his stomach squirm. 

“Yeah Buck, there’s a few colors, you just want pink?” 

“Yeah, pink’s good.” He nodded, smiling as he watched the man in the booth move the stick through the fluff and catch it. He handed the stick to Bucky, a big pink blob of fluff, Sam handed him some money and they walked back the way they’d been headed. 

“Thanks Sam.” Bucky said with a smile as he pulled some cotton candy off and ate it. He hummed happily when the sugar hit his tongue. 

“Anytime. Is it as good as you remember?” 

“Mhm. I think it might be better actually. Here.” He offered the giant fluffy pink ball to Sam, he smiled and took a small glob of fluff off the side. He smiled as he at it.  
“Good?” Bucky asked, he was feeling better, more relaxed. 

“I was never really a cotton candy guy, but it’s not bad.” He said with a nod and a smile. Bucky laughed and they kept walking, talking off and on but mostly just walking and watching all the people around them. They almost died laughing when they saw a group of kids dressed as avengers. Especially because the little boy dressed as Iron Man was fighting with the little boy dressed as Captain America. They were fighting about what they were gonna do next, little cap wanted to go to the haunted house, and little Tony wanted to do the corn maze. 

They ended up in a small slap fight. Slapping at each other but not really doing any damage. Little Cap managed to land a pretty solid hit to little Tony and that’s when Bucky and Sam nearly died. Because the boy gasped, and in the most sophisticated voice, little Tony said, “I cannot, believe, you just did that.” Their parents showed up shortly after, around the time Bucky and Sam started to get their breath back. They took a few more steadying breaths and headed for the small haunted house. 

~***~

Bucky had never heard Sam scream this much in his entire life. His scared scream was a lot higher pitched than his regular scream and Bucky was having trouble not laughing, even though there were things jumping out at them all over the place. 

A few turns later a zombie type thing jumped out and screamed in Sam’s face. 

“Oh hell no.” Was all Bucky heard before he felt Sam’s hand in his and he was pulled along the next corridor, Sam running past everything that jumped out without so much as a second glance. Bucky could hear him grumbling as he ran, something about this being the worst fucking idea he’d ever fucking had. Bucky would normally have laughed, but right now all he could focus on was Sam’s hand in his. And the fact that every time something else jumped out Sam squeezed his hand, like he was making sure he wouldn’t let go, or so the monster wouldn’t be able to take him if held on just a bit tighter. Bucky’s heart was beating a mile a minute and it had nothing to do with the haunted house.

They made it to the exit and Sam let go of Bucky’s hand. He felt his hand chase after Sam’s and forced it into his pocket instead. Sam sat down on one of the picnic tables to catch his breath. Bucky went and got them another coke. He took a few drinks and handed it to Sam. 

“Thanks Buck.”

“Sure.” He paused and then smirked at Sam.

“So, you really like haunted houses huh?”

Sam looked over the top of the cup at him. He took a drink, stood up, and handed the cup back to Bucky. 

“I may have underestimated them.” he said very seriously, before walking away. Bucky watched him walking for a few moments, drank the rest of the coke, and then followed. 

“You ready to go?” Sam asked, his hands in his pockets, looking up at the few stars they could see in the sky. Bucky nodded and they headed for the car. 

~***~

Bucky wanted to talk the whole way home, but his mouth had stopped working again. His brain was stuck in a loop. A loop of Sam grabbing his hand and holding it, squeezing it occasionally to make sure he was still there. He couldn’t stop thinking about it. His brain being more than unhelpful by telling him that it wouldn’t happen again, that that was as close as he was ever going to get to holding Sam Wilson’s hand. Bucky frowned into his lap and sighed again. He forced himself to look out the window and not at Sam. If holding Sam’s hand in a haunted house was all he was ever going to get, he would fucking take it. 

They got home a bit late, a few minutes after 2am. Most of the lights were off, a few came on when they came in, courtesy of F.R.I.D.A.Y. most likely. She was always doing small things like that for people, she was there to help after all. They rode the elevator up to their floor and got out. They passed Sam’s door and Sam kept walking with Bucky. Bucky slowed down and looked at him.

“What are you doing?” he asked, confused. 

“I’m…walking you home.” He said slowly, looking at Bucky. Bucky furrowed his brow and nodded. They kept walking, Bucky’s room was at the end of the hallway, and the hallway was long. 

He followed a few steps behind, watching Sam’s shoes as he followed him down the hall. And then things started to click. Everything started to make sense, or at least, he thought it did. He hoped it did.

The waffles in the mornings, the late night conversations when neither of them could sleep, the running together, the invitation to the fair, the food sharing, it was all falling into place in Bucky’s head and his heart was skipping beats again. He’d just been on a date with Sam fucking Wilson. 

…Maybe. 

“Buck? You okay?” Sam’s voice came through the fog of thoughts in Bucky’s head. He’d stopped walking and was standing in the middle of the hallway staring at the floor. 

“Buck?” Sam sounded concerned now, he took a few steps toward him. Bucky’s head snapped up and Sam stopped, standing a few feet away from Bucky’s door.

“Was this a date?” he blurted out. Sam cocked his head to the side a little.

“Um…”, he put his hands in his pockets, “If it was… would that be good or bad?”

Bucky stared at him, his heart thumping so hard in his ears that he could barely hear himself think. 

“Good.” He stated, matter of fact, but still not moving. 

“Good? Yeah?” Sam asked, his voice soft. 

“God yeah.” Bucky breathed and rushed forward so fast that he collided with Sam and pushed him back a few steps. He pulled Sam into a tight hug, shoving his face into his shoulder. Sam’s arms immediately wrapped around him and held him tight. 

“Thank you.” Bucky whispered into Sam’s shirt. Sam pulled back a little to look at him. 

“For what?” Sam asked, his brow furrowed, his hand coming up to the side of Bucky’s face, his thumb stroking the skin on his cheek. And Bucky was right, his skin was soft and warm.

“For taking me to the fair, for making me waffles with the little chocolate chips even though you never eat them, for everything I guess.” Bucky felt his eyes burn, a tear running down his cheek and then Sam was kissing him. The kiss was gentle. Just like Sam always was with him, he tasted like coke and cotton candy and Bucky felt like he was drowning in the best possible way. 

Sam pulled back and rested his forehead against Bucky’s.

“Next weekend.” Sam said into the space between them.

“What about it?”

“You and me are going on another date.”

“M’kay.” Bucky murmured, his eyes still closed.

“This time you’ll know it’s a date.”

“That’s good. I like that idea a lot.”

“I thought you might.” He rubbed his nose against Bucky’s and Bucky felt himself shiver. 

“You thought right.” Bucky hummed, his body gravitating toward Sam.

“It happens from time to time. I just thought making it official would be good. Make sure everyone is on the same page.” His hand rubbed up and down Bucky’s back, Bucky nearly whimpered at the contact. 

“Being on the same page is good.” He nodded slowly, his hands moving to Sam’s waist. Bucky opened his eyes a little to see Sam smile.

“Are you just repeating everything I say?”

“No, I’m not just repeating everything you say.” Bucky said with a smirk. Sam chuckled and leaned forward to kiss him again, just a quick peck and then he leaned back again.   
“Bucky Barnes?” Sam asked, sounding serious. 

“Hmm?” Bucky hummed, his head resting against Sam’s shoulder. 

“Would you like to date me?” he asked, Bucky could hear the smirk, he didn’t need to see it. He smiled into Sam’s shoulder and then pulled back to look at him.

“Yes, Sam Wilson, I would.” He looked at Sam for a minute, just looked at him and tried to get his head around the fact that he could touch him now, whenever he wanted. He sighed and leaned into another kiss. Sam smiled into the kiss and Bucky felt safe, felt like he was home.

**Author's Note:**

> i think this one is technically an halloween one too, but its not super obvious i dont think, i mean yeah there's a haunted house, but sometimes they have those at regular fairs. anyway... enjoy kids! <3


End file.
